Life sentences for men who tried to sell teenager's body parts

Durban - Two men, one a traditional healer, were convicted for the murder of a 17-year-old boy in Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday. The men had been caught by police trying to sell the boy's body parts.

Traditional healer Phumlani Ngidi (34) and Khanyisile Khusi (46) were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of a 17-year-old Mxolisi Fortune Langazane from Nkothaneni Ward on the South Coast. Langazane was reported missing in June 2017 after his grandmother sent him to a nearby shop and he never returned.

Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said that on October 7 this year at 10.50pm, police received information of a man selling body parts in Margate. "Their investigations led them to Marine Drive in Margate where the suspect was spotted seated in a vehicle. Police approached the man clad in a traditional outfit and requested to search the vehicle," she said.

Mbhele said during the search police discovered a bucket with a human skull, a hand, a torso and other body parts that were cut into small pieces. "The man confirmed to police that these were indeed human body parts and that he used these items them to heal people," she said.

Mbhele said the man had approached a number of traditional healers around the Emanguzi area. "It is alleged that he identified himself as a traditional healer from Margate. Traditional healers became concerned when the man told them that he was in possession of human body parts which were on sale for as little as R4 000 and they brought their concerns to the attention of police."